Improved corn-harvester



6775 mimi, 522ml@ i H2M?. C0217? Hmwezz A. inventore".

Witnesses.

MM www ilnted gasten @than ,ER

J. W. SHARRARD, SAMUEL BRYAN, AND .HOWARD HUNT, OF JANES- y VILLE, 'WISCONSIN Letters Patent No. 94,446, dated August 3l, 1869.

IMPROVE!) CORN-HARVESTER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J. W. SHARRARD, SAMUEL BRYAN, and HOWARD HUNT, of Janesville, in the county of Rock, and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvvesting Machines; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this speciiication, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating llike parts wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

Our invention relates to corn-harvesting machines, and consists in a novel manner of constructing and arranging the various devices composing the saine, all as hereinafter explained.

In the drawing- Figui-e1 is a longitudinal vertical section of our harvester, taken on the line x x of iig. 2;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of our machine; and

Figure 3 is a cross-section, taken on the-line y y of lig. 1.

In building our harvester, we first construct a frame,

A, of any requisite size, and of the form shown in thev drawing.

The rear end of this frame we support on two large driving-wheels C, and its front end by a caster-wheel, D, which latter is located at the middle of the machine, immediately behind the thills a, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

Diagonally from the front cross-bar r, to the outside rails of the frame, we locate knives or blades E, one on each side of the machine, as shown in iigs. I and 2.

These blades E are secured in place by having their ends slipped into grooves 11, in stationary blocks o, as shown in lig. 1. f

Each of the blocks o is provided with several of the grooves p, so that the knivesl may set higher or lower, as occasion requires.

To the side rails of the frame, above the knives, we attach the bent arms or guards G, having knife-edges, and which serve to direct the stalks against the forward ends ofthe knives E, and also aid .in cutting them oli.

Ou the rear end of the thills a., we locate a guard or fender, F, consisting of an iron rod, bent to the form shown in thedrawings, and being for the purpose of directing the stalks into or against the arms of the reels, as hereinafter explained.

On each side of the frame, opposite the knives, we erect a post, and on each of these posts mount a reel, H, as shown in figs. l and 2.

lhese reels consist, each, of a circular head or disk,

. provided withA a series of radial arms, c, which arms have an inclination of forty-live degrees downward from the edge of the disk, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

The reels are secured on the post, so that the disk stands at aninclination of forty-five degrees toward Athe outside of the machine, and so that, as they are rotated, their arms, on approaching the inner or upper side, assume a horizontal position, but, on passing around tothe lower outer side, assume a vertical posif tion, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

Each of the reels, we provide with a grooved pnlley, connected, by a' belt or chain, s, with a grooved pulley on the corresponding driving-wheel C, as shown in figs. 1 and 2.

Across the forward portion of the frame, we extend a platform, b, and to the rear edge of this platform, hinge or pivot two curved levers I, shown in figs. 1, 2, and 3.

To one side of the rear upright portion of the frame,

we hinge a crane, J, which may be swung out,- as shown in fig. 1, or closed vup against the frame, as indicated by red lines in g.-2.

On top of the frame, we locate a rocking catch, L, for fastening the crane shut, the catch being provided with a depending cord, J, for operating it by.

On one side ot' the upright portion of the frame, we mount a drum or windlass, K, and provide it with a crank or winch, f.

To the crane J, we attach a block, i, and a pulley, h, and pass a rope, g, over them, this rope g being attached, at one end, to the drum K, and having its other end provided with a hook, as shown in fig. 1.

To the rear end of the frame, we attach va reel or spool, M, upon 'which the binding cord or wire is wound.

In operating our harvester, it is drawn through the held, between two rows of standing corn,- when the stalks, passing between the guards F and G, are seized by the reels, and, at the same instant, the knives E,

' riding against .the stalks, out them off in rapid succession.

The stalks, as they 'are cut o, fall back on to the platform b, across the levers I.V

When a' suicient quantity of corn has accumulated on the platform, the levers I arethrown up, as shown by the redlines in tig. 3, compressing it into afcompact bundle or shock. Wire or cord is then drawn from the reel M, and the shock bound, after which it is hooked on to rope g, elevated by the windlass, swung around to one side of the machine,.and then dropped in a standing position.

By cutting the two central of six rows first, the whole six may be set in one shock-row, by `means of the swinging crane.

Having thus fully described our invention,

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let-g ters Patent, i's-` l. The arrangement of the guard F, attached, at 5. The -combinatien of the adjustable knives E, its front end, to the thi'lls, in the manner shown and spring-guards G, stationary guards F, and inclined described. reels H, all constructed and arranged to operate sub- 2. The knife-holders o, provided with a series of slots, stantiallv as desciibed. g for adjusting the knives at diierent heights, substan- J. W. SHARRARD. tially as described. SAMUEL BRYAN.

3. The spring-guards G, having their free arm pro- HOWARD HUNT. vided with a knife-edge, and arranged at a reverse angle to the knives E, as set forth. Witnesses:

4. In'rombination with the frame A of a corn-stalk PHILIP BURNS, harvester, the Crane J, when arranged substantiallyas S, VVITMER.

` 1 shown and described. W Y, Y. 

